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Medical certificate: what it means

A medical certificate, for services like electricity or gas, is a statement from a doctor or other health professional telling the company that a shutoff would endanger the health of someone who lives in the home. The rules vary by state.

In Spanish it is

Certificado médico

Also written as: medical certification · certificate of medical emergency

The full explanation

In New York, the company cannot shut off service while a certified medical emergency exists. In Arizona, a customer who cannot pay provides documentation from a licensed medical practitioner every year. In Texas, the doctor calls the company and sends a written statement, and you enter a payment plan. In New York and Texas, the protection lasts a limited time.

An example

Carlos's mother uses medical equipment that runs on electricity. When a shutoff notice arrives, her doctor sends the company a written statement, and Carlos asks how long the protection lasts in his state.

You will see it in…

  • Shutoff (disconnection) notices from the electric or gas company
  • Your state utility commission's rules
  • The company's forms for customers with medical needs

Words that go with it

You will rarely see this word alone. These are the ones that show up with it on the same papers.

A grandmother smiles, seated at home.

Still confused by a paper?

A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through it. Agencies usually charge little or nothing, many work in Spanish, and they do not sell you anything.

Official sources

We sum up what these official sources say, in plain words. We add no rules they do not state; when a rule changes, the definition and its date change.

  1. 1. Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School) · N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 16 § 11.5: residential service special procedures (medical emergencies) (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
  2. 2. Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School) · Ariz. Admin. Code R14-2-211: termination of service (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
  3. 3. Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School) · 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 25.483: disconnection of service (critical care residential customers) (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026